


floral and fading

by kinos



Category: Pentagon (Korea Band)
Genre: M/M, Requested!, florist!kino, skater!yuto, they're dumb but they're cute i guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-22
Updated: 2018-04-22
Packaged: 2019-04-26 09:13:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14398941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kinos/pseuds/kinos
Summary: “Well, what do you want me to do, huh? Work in your stupid flower shop until I pay off my debt?”He goes still when he realises what he’s just said, when he notices the way Hyunggu’s face lights up at the suggestion, and- “No. No, no, no, no, no, no. No way. I was just- It was just a joke. I- I’m not working there. I can’t work there.”or the one where yuto ruins hyunggu's flowers so hyunggu ruins yuto's life





	floral and fading

**Author's Note:**

> okay so this was requested a while ago and to the anon who sent it in, i really hope you like it!! you didn't give any specifics other than skater yuto and florist kino which was why it took me a while to come up with something that i could work with and i hope it turned out alright!!
> 
> also i've kinda been sick the past few days and i'm running on nothing but half a box of froot loops right now so Uhhhhh sorry if this isn't my best work but i really missed writing yuki and consider this me making up for the emo letter fic the other day lol and yuki has been SO alive lately i just had to finish this and i am So Sorry for the lame meme reference and sorry the ending is kinda rushed and the song that the title is from has Nothing to do with this fic i just like it and i've always wanted to title a fic that so yeah okay so i hope you all enjoy it xoxoxo

One second, Hyunggu’s got two large bouquets cradled in his arms, one laced with soft pinks and even softer whites, the other bursting with bright yellows and warm oranges, both arranged by Hyunggu himself, a handiwork that he’s quite proud of, if he’s being honest.

The first had been ordered for a baby shower from a family that Hyunggu used to babysit for, and the other is meant for one of those fancy Sunday brunches that the too-rich PTA moms in town hold when their kids go away on camping trips.

One second, he’s got them, just about to head to his car to go deliver them, because he’s finally gotten his license and he doesn’t have to wait around for someone else to drive him.

One second, he’s got them, and the next, he doesn’t.

Someone slams into him, knocking the bouquets right out of his hands, sending them flying to the ground, and Hyunggu goes down too, a body landing right on top of his, unfamiliar arms coming around him to brace them both from the fall, and-

“Ow! _Shit!_ I’m so sor-”

The person who had hit him stops short when their gazes meet, his eyes just as wide as Hyunggu’s, both their mouths falling open in silent gasps. Hyunggu tries not to move, almost frozen where he lays, but he thinks there’s a stone digging into his back, uncomfortable, sharp, and it forces him to wiggle his body before he can help it. Regret floods him immediately, because just the slightest shift is enough to alert them on their rather… _compromising_ position, one of the guy’s legs slotted between Hyunggu’s thighs, pressed up against his crotch, and they’re quick to scramble away from each other, letting out awkward yelps.

“I’m sorry!” he says again, getting to his feet, awfully flustered. His head swivels around as though he’s looking for something, and when it catches his eye, he hurries over to pick up the skateboard that had skidded behind them, tucking it under his arm. “My board must’ve gotten caught on the pavement or something. I really didn’t mean to-” He flashes a guilty look when he sees that Hyunggu’s still on the ground, still too stunned to get up, and he offers a hand. “Are you alright?”

Hyunggu stares at his open palm for a moment or two, before he grabs onto it, letting the guy pull him up and he says, “Yeah, I’m fine, but-” His face falls when he looks at his bouquets, his precious bouquets, flowers now scattered along the sidewalk, leaves crumpled from where people had blindly stepped on them, and-

He feels the hand around his squeeze tightly, and he turns to see the guy looking back at him with a gaping mouth. “Were those your flowers? Did I- _Fuck._ I’m so sorry-”

“Stop saying that!” Hyunggu snaps at him all of a sudden, yanking his hand away, feeling heat bubble up in him as he finally snaps out of his momentary daze to actually consider the situation. “What good is ‘sorry’ gonna do when all my flowers are _ruined?_ ”

The guy seems confused by the abrupt change in his behaviour, almost jumping away from him like he’s afraid that Hyunggu might strike him, and his words come out stuttered when he tries to defend himself, “What- I mean, what else am I supposed to say? It- It was an accident.”

“Well, your ‘accident’ just cost me 300 dollars worth of flowers,” Hyunggu shoots back, and a scowl twists his lips before he can help it, getting more and more riled up with every loose petal that blows past them.

His mouth pops open at that. “Those little things are _that_ expensive?”

Hyunggu lets out a scoff, offended, and _of course._ Of course this emo skater boy wannabe who, from the looks of it, had just thrown on whatever black garments he’d found on his bedroom floor this morning and lined his eyes with the darkest makeup that he owns, wouldn’t appreciate the beauty of flowers.

“Do you have any idea how hard it is grow those ‘little things’, huh?” Hyunggu asks him, his eyes narrowed, eyebrow arched high. “How much time and effort goes into making sure that they stay healthy, that they grow well, that they turn out as pretty as they are when you see them in the store window? Not to mention how difficult it is to put together a proper bouquet, to find the right flowers, the right design…” He breathes out slowly, jaw tightening, and his eyes flit over this boy’s body in obvious distaste before he looks up at him again. “They cost as much as they’re worth. I wouldn’t expect _you_ to understand that.”

Hyunggu expects him to get upset, to hurl a couple of insults right back at him, but all the guy does is roll his eyes and mutter under his breath, “Fucking calm down, Greg. It’s flowers.”

“My name is Hyunggu, not _Greg,_ ” he’s quick to say, unsure what he means by that, wondering if this boy is secretly cursing him out or something, and all he gets is an incredulous look in return.

“I wasn’t- Don’t you know the-” He groans, smacking his hand to his forehead. “Never mind.” He doesn’t seem to make any effort in explaining himself any further than that, simply saying, “Whatever, just- I’m sorry, okay? Let’s just forget this whole thing happened, you can go back to being a gardener, I’ll leave, and we’ll never have to see each other again.”

Before he can even take a single step, Hyunggu is in his way, and the guy’s a lot bigger than him, for sure, but he thinks if it came down to it, he’d have a fair chance at scratching his pretty face enough to make it hurt. Not that Hyunggu thinks he’s pretty or anything, especially now that they’re up close again, and he can see just how nice his eyes are-

“You’re just gonna leave?” Hyunggu blocks him again when he tries to sidestep him, quick on his feet. “You’re not even gonna pay for what you did?”

“First off, I told you, it was an accident,” he says, sucking in a sharp breath when Hyunggu continues to stand in his path, refusing to let him go. “And second, do I look like I have that kind of money?”

Hyunggu looks him over once more. “Well, no-”

“Exactly.” It seems like he’s had enough of Hyunggu’s nonsense, so he says, “Now, will you please just-” and he grabs Hyunggu by the shoulders, his skinny arms a lot stronger than they look, setting him aside like a doll, stepping right past him. “Thank you.”

He gets as far as three steps, maybe four, before Hyunggu launches himself at him, wrapping himself around his arm and digging his heels into the ground to pull him to a stop, almost pleading, “Come _on!_ My boss will kill me when he finds out about this.”

“That’s not my problem,” he grunts back, trying to tug his arm out of Hyunggu’s iron grip, but it’s no use. “Just let me go already, you little brat.”

Hyunggu refuses to, hugging him even tighter, and _damn it,_ why does this guy smell so good? Wait. _No._ Shut up, Hyunggu. Get a grip.

“You can’t just leave me here to deal with it on my own!” Hyunggu cries out, practically whining at this point, and he can see the people walking past them giving them funny looks, but he doesn’t care. “You were at fault too, and you know it!”

They both know he’s right, so the guy stops struggling against him, letting out a defeated huff, Hyunggu already pushing his breaking point. “Well, what do you want me to do, huh? Work in your stupid flower shop until I pay off my debt?”

He goes still when he realises what he’s just said, when he notices the way Hyunggu’s face lights up at the suggestion, and- “ _No._ No, no, no, no, no, no. No way. I was just- It was just a _joke._ I- I’m not working there. I _can’t_ work there.”

“Why not?” Hyunggu backs off of him, but he still keeps a hand on him, in case he decides to run away. Hyunggu’s a pretty fast runner, but this guy’s got a skateboard, so he’s not taking any chances here. “It’s the least you could do if you’re not actually going to pay me back.”

“But I-” It seems like he wants to say something, but he stops himself, face burning, and instead he says, “I don’t know anything about flowers. I don’t even _like_ flowers.”

Hyunggu makes a sound at that, waving him off lazily. “You don’t have to. You can just help around, sweep the floor, watch the counter once in a while.” With a small pout, he says, “The kid who used to work with me got stuck in summer school, so it’s been pretty hard handling the place alone. I can’t be at the counter and entertain customers at the same time, you know?”

“What about that boss of yours?” he asks, trying to stall him, still reluctant to go along with this silly plan. “Don’t you have to ask him for permission before you go around hiring people?”

Again, Hyunggu waves a hand at him, seeming unbothered. “It’s fine, he trusts me. He lets me do whatever I want.”

“You just said he’d kill you, like, five minutes ago.”

“Eh, dramatic effect.”

The guy makes a face at him, looking rather unimpressed, and Hyunggu sighs, rolling his eyes back. “Look, if he finds out about this, and he sees that you’re helping out at the store to make up for it, it’ll be fine,” he explains. Then, his voice drops, eyes serious now. “But if you don’t do this, and I tell him that you fucked up two of his biggest orders…” Hyunggu trails off, letting him fill in the rest on his own, watching as his eyes begin to dart nervously.

He tries to just shrug it off, weak scoffs coming out of him as he pretends not to feel threatened, but he’s not doing a very good job of it. “Please, you think I’m scared of some flower boy?”

“He might be a florist, but _trust me,_ ” Hyunggu tells him, pressing his fingers into the guy’s arm to make his point. “He could break your arm in half without even blinking an eye.”

That seems to get through to him, his eyes almost bulging in fear, and Hyunggu sounds rather smug when he asks, “So? Yes or no?”

He hesitates, as though he’s weighing his options here, like he’s genuinely considering it, and Hyunggu has a feeling that even if he lets the guy go now, he wouldn’t dare run. Still, Hyunggu needs to make sure that he won’t suddenly turn on him, so he twists his lips into a pretty smile, one that would even melt the heart of this punk, and his hand slides up his arm, resting gingerly on his shoulder.

He stretches up on his tiptoes, leans forward, and whispers to him, “If you say yes, I’m sure we’ll have lots of fun.”

The boy’s stance goes slack, arms falling loose at his sides, heat flaring up his neck, and he can’t even bring himself to say anything, too flustered by how close Hyunggu is, and it makes Hyunggu laugh, the sound of it twinkling with mischief.

“But if you say no…” Hyunggu bounces away from him, backing up into the safety of his storefront, and he holds up the skateboard that he’d slipped out from under the guy’s arm, a shit-eating grin plastered across his face. “Then I guess you’ll never see this _little thing_ again.”

—

Hyunggu is waiting with a green apron tucked over his arm when the skater boy shows up at the store the next morning, like he’d been expecting him, like he just knew that he would turn up for the job.

“How long do I have to do this?” he asks as Hyunggu puts the apron on him from behind, fastening it tight around his waist, and he startles when one of Hyunggu’s hands falls onto his hips before it slides into the front pocket of the apron. “Hey, what are you-”

Hyunggu pulls out a clip-on name tag, hopping forward to pin it to the strap of the apron, and the boy’s face turns pink in embarrassment, coughing awkwardly, avoiding his eyes.

He ignores his earlier question, hand disappearing into his own pocket to pull out a marker, and instead, he asks, “Name?” Before the guy can even answer, he’s quick to warn, “And don’t say something stupid like Greg again. I already looked that up last night, you know.”

Despite himself, the guy looks amused, eyebrows curving up. “Did you now?”

“Yeah, and I watched the movie too,” Hyunggu says with a nod, head tilting to the side. “It was a little dumb, but… It was pretty funny, I guess.”

That gets a rather loud laugh out of him, as if he can’t believe that Hyunggu sat through a ridiculous 2-hour comedy just because he couldn’t understand the reference that he’d made. And before he can help himself, he’s saying, “I could show you a _ton_ of better movies than that, okay.”

It’s Hyunggu’s turn to raise his eyebrows, the corners of his mouth lifting in a cheeky smile, and it looks like he’s about to tease the hell out of him, so before he can even start, he blurts out, “ _Yuto._ My name is Yuto.”

“Yuto…” Hyunggu repeats slowly as he spells out the name onto the tag, and just to wind him up a bit more, he draws a tiny heart next to his name, sending a quick wink at him. “Well, Yuto, maybe you could show me those movies after this week is up, hmm?”

“A _week?_ ” Yuto doesn’t even have a chance to react to Hyunggu’s attempt at flirting, too busy gaping at him like he’d just told him the world was ending or something. “You- You can’t be serious.”

Hyunggu just gives him a loose shrug, telling him, “I mean, you’re free to leave whenever. You can walk out right now, if that’s what you want.” That smile of his turns into something a bit more wicked. “But then, of course, that board of yours stays with me…”

Yuto looks like he’s about to give him a piece of his mind, but instead he just breathes in, out, in, out, in- “Where’s the broom?”

—

To Hyunggu’s surprise, Yuto isn’t all that bad a worker. Despite the teen rebel vibe he seems to be going for, he listens well, does what he’s told, and he only dozes off once when he’s up at the counter as the day slowly comes to an end, no more customers to bug him about what a certain flower is called when its name is clearly printed on the signs on the pots.

He won’t lie, Yuto _is_ a little cute when he’s sleeping like this, when he’s not talking nonsense, or being mean to Hyunggu for no reason. And despite the fact that they’d gotten off on a rather bad foot and a part of Hyunggu wants nothing more than to just punch this pretty face of his, he finds himself watching the boy for a moment longer than he needs to, his chin in his palm as he leans against the counter, staring down at him.

And he notices that Yuto’s got a tiny mole on his left eyelid, and that his lips are pushed out in a small pout, and that his nose twitches every now and again, scrunching up in the most adorable way, and-

_Ah, Hyunggu, what are you doing?_

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees the clock hit six, marking the end of their working hours, and Hyunggu stands up straight, shaking off whatever haze he’d gotten caught in. He reaches out to shake Yuto’s shoulder, waking him up as gently as he can, and when Yuto practically flies out of his seat, yelling out, “I don’t know what the fuck that flower is called!” Hyunggu can’t help but laugh at him, a bubbly giggle leaving his lips.

“Oh.” Yuto quickly wipes the sleep off his face, flashing a sheepish grin, and he says, “Sorry, I didn’t realise I fell asleep.”

“It’s fine,” Hyunggu tells him, shrugging it off. “No one came in after you did anyway.” He watches as Yuto tries to contain a yawn, asking, “That tired, huh?”

Yuto’s face flushes at the comment, smacking his hand over his mouth until the yawn passes, moving up to rub at his sleepy eyes once it does.

“I’ve never worked a day in my life before now,” he admits, sounding almost bashful about it. “Of course it’s tiring.”

Hyunggu isn’t all too surprised, but he is curious, so he asks, “What do you do all summer then?” There’s a hint of teasing in his tone when he adds, “Just ride around on your skateboard and bang into people on the sidewalk?”

“ _Hey._ ” Yuto clicks his tongue at that, putting on a sour look. “Believe or not, you’re the only person I’ve ever hit while skating.”

“Wow, I’m flattered,” Hyunggu replies dryly, his eyes rolling at him, and it makes Yuto laugh.

“You should be,” he shoots back with a thin smirk, quirking his eyebrows at him. “It means you’re special.”

As if realising what he’s just said, he lets out a cough, pretending to dust off his apron as if he’d actually gotten it dirty, and a stupid smile tugs at the corners of Hyunggu’s mouth as he watches him.

And as much as he’d like to tease Yuto, he decides to save the poor guy from embarrassment this time, instead saying, “Well, for your first day on the job, I guess you were alright.”

That gets his attention, looking up at Hyunggu in disbelief. “Just alright?” He sounds unsatisfied. “Come on, I was better than alright.”

“You need to work on your manners,” is what Hyunggu says, wagging a sharp finger at him. “You were a little impolite today.”

Yuto gasps. “ _Me?_ Impolite?”

“You yelled at an old woman for asking you about the lilies,” Hyunggu reminds him, and Yuto makes a noise in the back of his throat.

“All the info is on the tags!”

“Maybe she was illiterate!”

“Oh, wow, who’s being impolite now?”

Hyunggu gives him a flat look, and really, there’s no point in arguing with him, and well, he supposes for someone who’s never worked before, especially in a field that he has zero knowledge or interest in, Yuto _was_ better than alright.

So, he says, “ _Fine._ You were pretty good.”

That pulls a winning grin out of him, flashing his bright teeth. “Good enough to consider my debt settled?”

Hyunggu flicks his nose. “You wish.”

“It was worth a try,” Yuto sighs, stretching his arms up before he asks, “You need any help closing up the store?”

“No, it’s okay, I got it,” Hyunggu tells him, and he jerks his head towards the door. “You can head home.”

“You sure? I don’t mind-”

Hyunggu shakes his head, waving him off. “No, no, really, it’s fine. Go home. Get some rest after a long day of sitting at the counter and reading comics on your phone.”

Yuto’s eyes go wide, like he’s surprised that Hyunggu managed to catch him, but instead of getting on his ass about it, Hyunggu just laughs, nudging his head with his knuckles.

“ _Go,_ Yuto,” he says, and when Yuto’s hanging up his apron on the rack by the door, just about to head out, Hyunggu can’t help the hopeful tone in his voice when he asks, “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

Yuto could just leave, could never come back. It wasn’t hard to find cheap skateboards nowadays anyway, so if he really wanted to, he could just forget about this whole thing, get a new board, move on with his life.

But instead, he smiles, and he says, “I’ll see you tomorrow, Hyunggu.”

—

Even though Yuto had said that he’d come again the next day, Hyunggu still feels anxious as he waits for him to show up, nervously tugging at the strings of Yuto’s apron while he stands by the door, wondering if he really will come.

He doesn’t know why he’s so eager to see Yuto again, when just two days ago, he’d been more than ready to shove the guy in front of a moving car for messing up his flowers. He tells himself that it’s nothing, that he’s just glad to finally have someone else in the store with him after weeks of being so alone that he’d even started talking to the plants. He tells himself that it’s definitely not because Yuto is a lot cuter than he’d first thought, maybe even nicer than he seemed too.

He tells himself that, but he knows it’s all lies when his heart does a stupid, _stupid_ flip as soon as Yuto runs up to the store, bursting through the glass door, up until he trips on the welcome mat, sending him face first into the floor.

“Good morning!” Hyunggu chirps, standing over him, and Yuto lets out a low groan, not even lifting his head, simply holding out his hand as though he was asking Hyunggu to help him up. And because Yuto can’t see his face from here, Hyunggu lets a silly smile cross his lips as he latches onto his hand to pull him up, still holding onto him even when he’s steady on his feet.

“Are you alright?” he asks, just like Yuto had asked him the other day, and the boy nods, saying, “I’m fine. Sorry about that. I woke up late, and I just… ran.”

Hyunggu only notices his outfit then, loose shorts and an old t-shirt that he seems to be outgrowing, his face bare this time, hair sticking up at messy angles, and _fuck,_ he really is so cute. Before Hyunggu does something completely idiotic like hug him or give him his whole heart, he drops Yuto’s hand, and if he didn’t know any better, he’d say that Yuto seemed disappointed.

“It’s okay,” he says, as Yuto busies himself with putting on his apron, and Hyunggu’s hands itch to tie it for him, but he keeps them at his own sides, balling them up into fists. “Thanks for coming anyway.”

Yuto looks over his shoulder to give him a funny look, like he’s wondering what Hyunggu means by that, and he just says, “Of course I came.”

There’s an odd beat of hope in Hyunggu’s chest at the sound of that, but then Yuto says, “I gotta do the whole week to get my skateboard back, right?”

“Right,” Hyunggu breathes out, and he gives Yuto a tight smile when he goes past him to slide into the counter. He points his thumb towards the other side of the store, past the shelves of plants where Yuto won’t be able to see him, and he says, “Uh, you know what, I’m just… I’ll, um, I’ll be over there. Yeah. So. Just tell me if you need anything.”

“Oka-”

Hyunggu walks away before Yuto can even finish that, hiding himself behind a flower pot, pretending to check up on his roses, and _God._ He’s an idiot. Was he really hoping that Yuto came back for him? Of course he’s just here for his skateboard. Hyunggu was stupid to think otherwise. And what’s his deal anyway? Surely he doesn’t like Yuto that much already, right? Or…

 _No._ There’s no way. He’s just doing this because Yuto owes him, because he needs to make up for what he did. That’s all it is.

And Hyunggu figures if he just stays on this side of the store while Yuto keeps himself behind the counter, then he can just ignore the guy for the rest of the day, or at least, long enough for him to shake off these funny feelings.

His plan lasts about an hour before Yuto decides to have an entire Q&A session with him, asking Hyunggu anything and everything about flowers, so much that he’s forced to just come up and stand by the counter to answer him properly.

“So, there’s more than one kind of rose?”

“Yeah, there are over a hundred species, but we only have three here.”

“What else do you have here?”

“Orchids, carnations, daisies- Do you really want me to name every single flower we have in store?”

“Okay, no, but what about cactuses? _Cacti?_ Is that a word?”

“Cacti, cactuses, it doesn’t matter, and yes, we have those too.”

“What about-”

“You know,” Hyunggu cuts in before he can launch into another question, smacking his hand down onto the counter. “For someone who says he doesn’t like flowers, you sure do have a lot of questions about them.”

Yuto just puffs out his cheeks at that, saying, “ _Sorry._ I’m just bored.”

And okay, Hyunggu understands. If he’s being honest, he’s a little bored too. Business was pretty slow today, and apart from one person who’d made a quick stop to get a typical bouquet of red roses, writing out a rather drab ‘I’m Sorry’ message on the card that came with it, they haven’t had any customers.

But as much as he gets Yuto’s need to have someone entertain him, it makes it really fucking hard for Hyunggu to ignore the obvious fact that he does, in some way, like him, just a teeny tiny bit. It’s hard, especially when Yuto’s got this adorable look of curiosity in his eyes as he asks his questions, when his voice kicks up a notch as Hyunggu gives him an answer that pleases him. It’s hard, because it’s clear that Yuto doesn’t even like him back.

Yuto reaches out to poke Hyunggu’s shoulder, giving him a cheeky grin as he tells him, “And maybe it’s not the flowers that I like.”

_Well then._

Hyunggu has to fight back a smile, biting down on his bottom lip because he’s afraid he might say something embarrassing, and as if sensing his sudden sheepishness, Yuto barks out a laugh, saying, “Okay, last question. I promise.”

All Hyunggu can do is nod, and Yuto asks, “What’s your favourite flower?”

“Violets,” Hyunggu answers without any hesitation, and Yuto is taken aback by how quickly he’d answered, making Hyunggu feel shy all of a sudden. “I- I mean, _violets,_ yeah, I like violets. They’re pretty, and purple has always been my favourite colour, so, you know. And um, I don’t know, violet just seems, like, it’s warm, but it’s also cold, but-”

Hyunggu knows he’s babbling, that he’s probably making no sense, that Yuto is probably weirded out by him, but when he looks at him, Yuto’s got this fond look on his face that Hyunggu can’t quite figure out, and it makes a blush spread across his cheeks.

“Well, what do you think of me then?” Yuto leans over the counter so that his face meets Hyunggu’s, the tips of their noses just barely grazing, and he smiles. “Am I warm or cold?”

There’s a question there that he isn’t saying out loud, but Hyunggu understands what he means.

_Am I warm or cold? Am I both? Am I neither? Do you like me as much as you like violets?_

And Hyunggu knows he shouldn’t give into this, knows that Yuto is probably just teasing him, toying with him, but before he can stop himself, he’s bumping his nose against Yuto’s, matching his smile. And he tells him, “Ask me again at the end of the week.”

—

Yuto gets the hang of things so well that by the time Friday rolls around, Hyunggu feels comfortable enough to leave the store to him while he goes out to make deliveries around town, saying, “Bye Yuto! Call me if anything goes wrong,” just before he heads out.

They’ve got each other’s phone numbers now – purely for business purposes, of course – except there’s message upon message of evidence that they’ve been talking about those supposed movies that Yuto wants to show him, instead of what orders were placed at the store, but no one needs to know that.

And despite the way they’d first met, Yuto feels this odd emptiness now that Hyunggu isn’t there with him, the little shop seeming awfully quiet without the boy’s chattering. There hasn’t been any customers today anyway, and Yuto’s about to just fall aslee-

“Who the hell are you?”

He jumps up when he hears the voice, eyes flying open to land on the person standing on the other side of the counter, his brows furrowed as he looks Yuto over, and _okay,_ that’s no way to treat someone, so Yuto throws a scowl at him, asking, “Who the hell are _you?_ ”

“Hyojong,” he answers, and why does that name sound so familiar… “What are you doing in my store?”

_Oh shit._

“Y-You’re Hyojong?” Yuto stutters out, standing up straighter, clearing his throat. “Hyunggu’s boss?”

Yuto’s eyes trail over him, from his rosy cheeks to the sprig of flowers tucked into his shoes, and _this_ is the boss that Hyunggu was so afraid of?

“Boss, brother, whatever, it still doesn’t answer my question.” He snaps his fingers in Yuto’s face. “Who are you, kid?”

 _Brother?_ Fuck, what has Yuto gotten himself into?

“I’m Yuto,” is all he says, and when Hyojong motions for him to explain himself further, he’s even more confused. Had Hyunggu not told him that Yuto would be working here? He coughs, sounding just a touch ashamed of himself when he tells him, “I- I kinda ruined some of Hyunggu’s flowers last weekend, so I’ve been working here to pay back the cost.”

Hyojong gives him an empty stare, like he has no idea what Yuto is talking about, until- “ _Oh._ Those bouquets?” His frown deepens. “I already took that cost out of Hyunggu’s allowance on… Monday, was it? I told him I’d cover it, but he insisted, said it was his fault anyway.”

“So… I’ve been working here for nothing?” Yuto’s jaw drops at the revelation. “I wasn’t even earning anything?”

That makes Hyojong laugh, stupid snorts spluttering out of him as he reaches over to pat Yuto’s shoulder, saying, “Buddy, you know even Hyunggu doesn’t get paid to work here, right?”

“ _What?_ ”

“He just helps out during the summer because it’s either this or being the errand boy at our dad’s office, and he’s always liked flowers anyway, so…” Hyojong laughs again, shaking his head. “I can’t believe you really let him trick you into working here. You could’ve just said no, you know.”

Yuto’s body slumps against the counter, mumbling out, “I couldn’t. He stole my skateboard and told me he’d only give it back after I worked here for a week.”

The way Hyojong just sighs tells Yuto that he’s more than used to Hyunggu’s crazy antics, and he asks, “Well, where is he now?”

“Deliveries.”

“Ah…” Hyojong nods, patting his shoulder again, and he offers a look of pity. “I have to head out, but when Hyunggu comes back, tell him to give you your skateboard and let you go, or else I’ll make him go work with Dad.”

Yuto just nods at his instructions, waving a hand when he leaves, and _huh._ Did Hyunggu really keep him around just to torture him? To watch him struggle with working? To make a fool out of him? And all the flirting, the late-night texting, was that all a part of his little game as well?

He doesn’t know, but as soon as Hyunggu comes back, all smiles and sunshine, Yuto stretches out his leg, watching as Hyunggu trips on it, tumbling to the floor just like Yuto had the other day.

“ _Ow,_ ” Hyunggu groans, immediately rubbing at the spot where his head had banged against the wood. “What the fuck was that for?”

“Payback,” Yuto huffs at him, ignoring his outstretched hand until Hyunggu pushes himself up. “Since me working here isn’t actually paying back anything.”

Hyunggu’s face falls as he realises what he means. “You met Hyojong?”

Yuto nods in answer, then he says, “He told me to tell you to give me back my skateboard, or he’ll make you go work with your dad.”

That pulls a loud gasp out of Hyunggu, like he’s offended that his own brother would side with Yuto instead of him, and he sounds like a child when he spits out, “Take it then. It’s under the counter.”

“What-” Yuto hurries over to the counter, the same fucking counter that he’s been sitting at the entire week, and he opens the cabinet under to find his skateboard right there. “Has it been here the whole time? I- I could’ve just taken it ages ago.”

Hyunggu’s lips are pursed sourly when Yuto goes over to him again, and he doesn’t bother hiding the harshness in his voice when he says, “Not my fault you didn’t bother checking, you idiot.”

“Don’t call me an idiot,” Yuto shoots back, mirroring his expression. “You’re the one who made me stay here when you already settled the whole thing on your own.” Then, slipping into a concerned frown, he asks, “Why’d you do that, Hyunggu? 300 bucks isn’t exactly cheap.”

Despite the fact that Hyunggu’s upset about Yuto confronting him like this, not to mention fucking tripping him when he’d been so excited to come back to the store to see him, he can’t help the ache in his chest when he sees the worry on Yuto’s face.

“I wasn’t going to,” Hyunggu admits, his hands twisting together nervously. “I really was gonna make you work, I was gonna tell Hyojong about it too, but then when you actually showed up that first day, and you did the job better than I’d expected, I felt kinda bad about the whole thing, so I decided to pay for it myself.” His voice grows smaller, unable to meet Yuto’s eyes now. “And I should’ve just given you your skateboard back after that, but I just- I don’t know. You were just so… _cute_ in that apron, and when you fell asleep on the counter, and when you came back the next day, I just-”

Yuto cuts off his rambling with his mouth on his, that skateboard of his clattering to the ground as he grabs Hyunggu’s face, making him squeak in surprise, but it doesn’t take long for him to return the kiss, arms curling around Yuto’s neck. His lips are warm, sweet, but they send a chill up Hyunggu’s spine, goosebumps rising on his skin where Yuto’s touching him.

_Am I warm or cold? Am I warm or cold? Am I warm or cold? Am I warm or cold? Am I-_

“Damn, this was definitely worth the allergies,” Yuto says when they pull apart, and _wow,_ how fucking romantic.

“Allergies?” Hyunggu tilts his head in question, still hanging onto his neck, Yuto’s hands moving to hold him by the waist now.

“You remember when I said I couldn’t work here?” Yuto asks, reminding him of their conversation from that first day. “I meant it. I can’t. I’m allergic to flowers.”

Hyunggu lets go of him to hit him on the chest. “Yuto! Why didn’t you tell me?”

“It’s _embarrassing-_ ”

“God, you really are an idiot!” Hyunggu can’t believe this, his palm smacking against his forehead, head shaking. “You let me shove you into a store full of flowers for a whole week when you’re fucking allergic to flowers?”

Yuto bares his teeth in an awkward grin, lifting his shoulders innocently. “Maybe I’m not the only one who looks cute in that apron?”

Hyunggu gives him a sharp look at his ridiculous excuse, but he caves in when Yuto puckers his lips for another kiss, indulging him just because he knows he’s been wanting to kiss him just as badly this entire week.

And when Yuto asks him again, “So, tell me, am I warm or cold?” Hyunggu kisses him once more, and he says, “It doesn’t matter. I like you either way.”

**Author's Note:**

> find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/ao3kino), [curious cat](https://curiouscat.me/ao3kino)


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